A Cruel Mistress
by YellowTrumpets
Summary: Raphael is remembering what the sea has stolen from him, when he comes across a familiar and...unique fisherman, who helps him to answer several questions he didn't know he was asking.


Disclaimer: I wish I owned them…but sadly enough, I do not. I'm using Dub names, mainly because those are the ones I'm most familiar with. I just noticed one day that both Mako (Ryuzaki) and Raphael have lost someone or someones closest to them to the sea. It's interesting.

…

A Cruel Mistress

…

Valon worries when I do this. He doesn't understand. Alister does, though. There's a reason he keeps Mikey's toy, and it's not just to remember his baby brother. It's a tie to his past, so he knows it was real. That Doom wasn't everything.

I lost everything, and this is all I have left. The sea. It's not as if I _enjoy_ coming down to the pier to think about all the stuff I don't have anymore. More like I need to. I can't be like Valon, moving from place to place and pretending that he has no past. A regular day-to-day man, that Valon. Does he know it won't dull the pain?

The Pharaoh thinks we're lucky. I know he does. That girl (Tina? Tia? Wait, Tea, that's it) told me before we got back to Domino. Apparently we weren't repentant enough for her tastes. She got all up in my face, talking about how lucky we all were because at least we had a past to remember, and he's basically a tabula rasa, yeah yeah yeah… I asked her if she wanted us to grovel at his feet. I think Kaiba laughed at that point, and so she focused her attention on him. Poor kid. As bad as Alister swears he is, Kaiba didn't deserve that.

But, I have to wonder…if the Pharaoh can't remember, can he still feel the pain?

I'm standing here, looking out to sea, thinking. Trying to figure out where I'm going.

"What did she take from you?"

"Well?"

I realize somebody's talking to me. Looking around, I'm trying to figure out who it is. Old woman, no, old fisherman, no, two old guys playing bocce-ball…this place is an old-person magnet.

"Down here."

He's a funny-looking guy, in a small dinghy a few feet from the dock. Tanned skin, spiky blue hair, _lots_ of scars. He's still waiting for a response, so I just say, "Everything."

Apparently this answer doesn't satisfy him. "That's not true," he says. Getting closer, I can see he's a few years younger than I am. I sit down on the edge of the dock. "How do you know that?" I ask, against my better judgment. Kid's a loonie, obviously.

He just looks at me. "You've got your life. Past, present, future. She could have chosen to take that from you, but she can be merciful when she wants to be."

Okay, now I'm a bit weirded out. And…angry at the same time. This, this _boy _thinks he has the right to tell me all about myself? And what's all this _she_ business? The sea is nothing but a force of nature. A collection of water molecules, sediment, organic compounds, and sea life prone to reactions to atmospheric conditions. Not some kind of living being.

"You think that, don't you? But any good fisherman will tell you, the sea is most definitely a woman. A very fickle one at that."

Did I say a bit weirded out? Scratch that. I'm about to get up and run. Is he reading my mind?

Okay, now he's jumping out of the boat to sit next to me. Damn. Can't run now, it'd be rude.

Now it's my turn to guess what you're thinking. _This guy tried to take out the Pharaoh and destroy the entire world, and he's worried about manners?_

Yes, well, maybe I was in a cult, and a soul-sucking leather-wearing motorcycle gang cult at that, but my mother taught me manners at a very young age, and I adhere to proper social code whenever possible.

So maybe all the kidnapping, threatening, and soul stealing was somewhat less than charming, but I've always been polite while doing so. I'd even hold the door for you when I was done eliminating your life-points, provide your soulless body could walk.

So anyway, he's sitting next to me, kicking his bare feet in the water, and humming what sounds like country music under his breath. He holds out his hand. "Mako Tsunami," he says.

Again with the etiquette. I shake his hand, trying to ignore the fish smell. "Raphael. Just…Raphael."

He grins. "Okay, Raphael Just-Raphael. I'll ask you again. What did she really take from you?"

I hold up a hand, counting off my losses. "My mother, father, brother, sister, childhood, future, and, let's see here, my faith in humanity. Oh yeah, and the boat." Why am I telling him all this? I think he has mental powers, personally. Oh, well, may as well have someone to talk to.

Mako shakes his head. "No, still lying to me. Don't worry, I believe the whole family and childhood stuff, but faith in humanity? I know for a fact you still have a lot of that."

I ignore the statement. "Well, what about you? What's your deal?"

"I lost my father in a storm, when we were out on our boat," he replied, not looking at me. His attention was focused on the horizon.

"You don't seem too upset about that."

He turns to me. "He's out there somewhere, Raphael. I can feel it. Don't you think your family is waiting for you?"

"My family is dead!"

My own voice sounds foreign to me. Who is this angry, bitter man? It can't be me. Can it?

Mako just nods, sitting there, calm as can be. "Maybe so, maybe no. In any case, they are still waiting for you. You are not as alone as you think you are, Raphael. Not if you don't want to be."

I realize my hands are clenched into fists. I relax, and try to think about what this crazy man is saying. I can see things, people. Usually, when I think family, I think of Mom, Dad, Sonia, and Julian. But now, after hearing Mako, I see different faces. Valon. Alister. Even the Pharaoh.

Mako's grinning at me now, and that frightens me more than anything else. "Say what you will of the sea, my friend," he says. "She can be a cruel mistress, but she is not completely heartless."

I finally ask the question that has been plaguing me since I met Mako. "How do you know all of these things?"

"Dreams."

What?

"What?"

"Dreams, Raphael. I have seen you many a time whilst I slept."

I squirm. "I'm sorry, but I don't lean that way. Nothing personal, I mean, you're a perfectly nice guy, and I'm sure you…"

Mako laughs. "No, no. You misread me. I have seen your quest. You and I, we are linked through destiny and past events. I saw your pain, and it mirrored mine."

He closes his eyes. "Perhaps I see in you a reflection of myself. We are two sides of the same coin, I believe, you and I. Sons of the sea."

I shake my head. "No, no," I say, "You, maybe. But I hate the sea. It- she- is the reason for everything. All the pain…"

"You still believe that? A few months ago, if I am not mistaken, you blamed all of humanity for your pain. When will you place responsibility where it is due?"

But then his demeanor is back to cheerful and happy. "Hmmm…the wind is changing. I believe perhaps I may have a better catch. If you are not opposed to waiting a few more hours, or coming back and bringing some friends, I believe we shall have a mighty feast come nightfall!"

He jumps back into his boat, and I stand up. "Mako?"

"Yes, friend?"

"If you've…_seen_ everything I've done, which in itself is frightening, why did you ask me all those questions?"

I can't see his face, as his back is turned. "Perhaps you needed to answer all those questions yourself."

I sigh. "I get the feeling you're always right. I hate that in a person."

Mako turns around with a bark of laughter. "So, will I be catching for two?"

"Make that four."

I make my way back to the house, where Valon is camped out in front of the television. Alister's in his room, no doubt. I push the Australian off the couch and he squawks.

"What the bloody hell?"

I help him off the floor. "Get Alister," I say.

"What for?"

I smile, for what seems like the first time in years.

"We've got plans with a friend tonight."

…

A/N: Fish Fry Time! This was written in one sitting. My bum hurts now. Anyway, I love the DOOM bikers, and especially Raphael, and Mako's an old favorite. And I hadn't written this as a slash, but anybody who wants to slash them is welcome. REVIEW.


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